Smart mouse monitors your vitals as you game

Ever felt your skin flush and your heart race as you reach that critical moment in play? Actually, you usually wouldn't -- when you're that engrossed in a game, paying attention to your physiological responses is low on your list of priorities.

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If you would, however, like to know that information there's going to be a gaming mouse for you. The NAOS QG -- for Quantified Gaming mouse -- is embedded with sensors that monitor your heart rate, skin response and reaction time, in real-time as you play, displaying the information on an HUD on the screen.

"Just like athletes gather and analyze data, we want to do the same for gamers. Provide you with deep insights. Enable you to understand your reactions and optimize your gaming," creator MionixLabs wrote on Kickstarter, where it is seeking funding.

"Gamers using the NAOS QG can even share and compare their QG stats with teammates, friends and the community. This opens a new dimension to how games are played, shared and professionally broadcasted."

The mouse, which uses optical tracking, has heart rate sensors and galvanic skin response sensors -- which measure perspiration -- built into the rear, where the player's palm will sit. Hardware inside the mouse also measures clicks per minute and movement data, such as speed and precision. As you play, included software displays this data on your screen in real-time in the form of an unobtrusive, customisable HUD. It will also deliver acoustic warnings when your stress levels get too high.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive played with the NAOS QG. You can see the HUD on the right; it can be customised to fit your game.
MionixLabs

The data is stored, too, so that you can analyse trends: what aspects of a game make you react in a certain way.

The team believes that the best part is being able to share your real-time reactions via Twitch streams, but we think the mouse has a much more interesting potential: gaming that incorporated biofeedback, such as the recently successfully funded horror title Nevermind. It monitors your heart rate and responds in kind -- the more scared you get, the more difficult the game becomes -- kind of like a real-life sanity meter.

MionixLabs, to be fair, hasn't mentioned this possibility (we've asked about it) but the APIs for the device will be open and free for everyone to use, so that developers can incorporate the mouse's capabilities into their own software. In the meantime, the included software will operate in concert with any other software -- much like FRAPS does.

The NAOS QG is currently being offered as a reward for an early bird price of $79, with normal retail price sitting at $129. Head on over to the Kickstarter page to check it out.